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When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade.
We've braved the belly of the beast,
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace,
and the norms and notions
of what just is
isn't always just-ice.
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn't broken,
but simply unfinished.
We the successors of a country and a time
where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one.
And yes we are far from polished.
Far from pristine.
But that doesn't mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge a union with purpose,
to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man.
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us,
but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true,
that even as we grieved, we grew,
that even as we hurt, we hoped,
that even as we tired, we tried,
that we'll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
and no one shall make them afraid.
If we're to live up to our own time,
then victory won't lie in the blade.
But in all the bridges we've made,
that is the promise to glade,
the hill we climb.
If only we dare.
It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it's the past we step into
and how we repair it.
We've seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed,
it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth,
in this faith we trust.
For while we have our eyes on the future,
history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption
we feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter.
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert,
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was,
but move to what shall be.
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free.
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation,
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain,
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy,
and change our children's birthright.
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with.
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west.
We will rise from the windswept northeast,
where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states.
We will rise from the sunbaked south.
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover.
And every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful.
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid,
the new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it.
If only we're brave enough to be it.

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Niklas M. : Pain Eventually Leads to a Bright Future

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Niklas M. : Pain Eventually Leads to a Bright Future

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This poem stands out because Gorman tells the world that they should embrace the pain that will come their way in their life, as humanity will come out stronger as a whole. She delivers this through her powerful use of emphasis on her words, as well as how she crafts her poem to fit and combat the issues of our current world. -Niklas M.

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"Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division"
This stands out because it is a powerful message that yes, the nation may taste defeat but we will all be together and because of it be able to climb back up our hill.

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This poem represents hope. Gorman is able to describe not only the country's past faults, but the success of how we have been able to overcome them. She depicts unification in a captivating manner and her desire for it. Because of her gender, race, and age, this poem will forever be looked at as a turning point in history.

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Gorman uses homophones with the words "just is" and "justice" to suggest how the society and culture that we live in is not always acceptable. She wants to emphasize change, how the corruption that engraves itself onto the roots of humanity is preventing us from adapting to a more respectable generation. Humans are constantly revolting against each other creating more wounds than we can heal. But, by preventing this from spreading further we are able to give our future generations a harmonic society at peace.

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What stands out is the fact that Gorman emphasizes her words with her tone and the way she moves her hand to express the words further. She knows when to take pauses and how to speak clearly and effectively and overall how to draw the audience in to her beautiful work of words.

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Gorman has much stress when she re-tells the story of the nation's creation, as well as when comparing it to where we as one people stand now - unsure and divided, more than anything. She puts the stress on these moments to help us realize how we have changed, and how we need to change in order to be united, through all times of struggle or prosperity.

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Gorman actively talking about how America as a whole can come together to repair the past and what the future may bring, including the previous actions for justice and the ongoing pandemic stands out immensely. Gorman's confidence amplifies the motivational tone emphasizing to the listener that it is possible to achieve anything only if courageous to.

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The mention of our growth between races stood out because she gave her own background which made a connections to some/most of the audience.

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Gorman indirectly speaking about the past and how this presidency is a start of a new day is what stood out and her expression and passion for this country and all the hope she has in it. Her tone and energy she spoke into it is the reason this part specifically stood out.

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What stand out to me in the poem is the rhymes that she uses in the poem to blend the poem together and bring attention to those certain words.

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The thing that stands out to me in Amanda Gorman's poem is her emphasis and repetition of certain words to further accentuate her message of unity and hope to the audience.

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"We the successors of a country and a time
where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one." This stood out to me because it seemed she included a personal back round story which could help readers relate and understand the words Amanda is speaking.

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Gorman recites her poem with passion, putting stress on words that she wants the audience to listen to and remember in order to inspire hope for everyone.

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The use of stress in her speech and emphasis of unification stand out as 2020 - present day has been hard for everyone. The emphasis on unification shows that even through rough times, humanity as a whole can prevail.

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Amanda Gorman is very expressive, not only with her pronunciation and emphasis of words but also her body language when she reads it aloud. Contrary to other inauguration poets, Gorman has a rhythm and song like tone to her poem which adds to the over all theme of unity in overcoming struggles and togetherness under a hopeful nation.

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The thing that stood out the most in the poem (to me) was when the poet shifted to the idea of leaving this world better than what it was when it was left to us. She stressed the idea that we will all rise from catastrophe, and will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one. I think this is important because it portrays the importance of the next generation, emphasizing that we can all create change into the world, and make it better for those next in line.

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What stands out in this poem is Gorman's speaking, she emphasizes words in this poem to get a point across, she shows emotion to create a story behind the poem and the way she put an emphasis on certain parts of the poem to attract attention and to make her confidence stand out.

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Amanda Gorman uses much Alliteration which helps expand the meaning of what is actually happening because it creates strong connotations with visuals to emphasize a new begging as one union.

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I notice how Gorman frequently mentions the past and how the country's previous struggles are now passed on to the newer generations. She touches on subjects such as oppression, equality, destruction, mercy, and love and how as a society we will prevail through troubles about these topics.

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Amanda Gorman's rhyme scheme in this poem really stands out. She would utilize stress on the words that would rhyme at the end of a line. The same rhyme scheme would usually go on for more than two lines. Her use of rhyming and emphasis on the words that rhymed created a nice flow and rhythm in her poem.

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The most prominent thing that stands out is her optimism. She is able to convert any negative into growth. She believes that humanity is destined to evolve and how conflict may slow us, but will never prevent us from doing so. She looks for the positive outcomes on life, increasing society's belief for peace and freedom. She is a motivational speaker who speaks to those who have lost hope, rebuilding their will to evolve.

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Amanda Gorman rhymes while she incorporates homophones and play on words to bind her voice and thoughts together in a way that someone can only stop and listen in hopes of taking in the beautiful way she uses words. These aspects of literature expand her meaning in her poems by expressing further than anyone can, just by threading the pieces together.

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Often times, Gorman does not end with a simple end rhyme of two similar endings between two words, but multiple. This acts as a way of emphasizing her claims of unification through text without having a speaker straining to put stress and emphasis on these words themselves as the reader could see the repetition of something more meaningful, more defined.

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Gorman compares the future of our nation (after enacting change) to the future generation when she says, "If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy,
and change our children's birthright.
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with."
She leaves this to help realize that the future generation is what is going to make this nation, so she would much rather leave them with something more to build off than something that could crumble so easily - something our nation was so close to achieving.

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What stands out in this poem is the hope and faith projected by Gorman that we as Americans will move onto this new chapter stronger than ever. Even though we may face defeat, we will all come together as one instead of letting it pull us apart.

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Gorman uses personification to emphasize the change that is necessary. She states, "For while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us." This quote depicts that everything we do will permanently be apart of history. The history that future students will study starts with us.

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What stands out in this poem is her confidence as she speaks of modern problems and the hope she provides for the future. Her words are very uplifting and powerful which leaves a positive effect on the listener. "We've learned that quiet isn't always peace", this stood out to me as what she says is true and that we should be heard and voice our problems to better the future.

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Something that stood out for me as I  followed along with the poem was how Gorman recites "But that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. We are striving to forge a union with purpose."
This is a strong message which encourages ourselves and others to unify together so we may be able to serve with a purpose that will lead our nation to greatness. Not because it is perfect, but because we have a reason as to why we stand as one.

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I notice Gorman uses metaphors throughout the whole poem with the line "We've braved the belly of the beast". This expands the meaning of all the complications that previously happened with Trumps presidency. This emphasizes all the past troubles and biases we have went through and have yet still survived another day.

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What stood out to me was when she was using hand gestures when she was speaking also the way she was speaking with her tone and energy, and also how her poem was about unity

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What stood out in this poem was the fact that Gorman was very confident. She knows when the right time is to show emotion and put stress into certain words to make a point.

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Gorman's reading of the poem was notable because she used enjambment to emphasize rhymes, which highlights her theme of redemption by learning from the past of the country because words stressed, such as "weathered" and "polished," carry connotations related to such.

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"Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division."

Amanda Gorman repetitions of phrases and alliteration allows her to not only to control the pace of her poem, but to address the doubts created within previous stanzas.

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The usage of homophones throughout Gorman's poem gave it depth and a story. Arms and arms while one is a body part the other is weaponry. The story is of our past/present when races fight one another with weaponry which eventually lead/leading to equality throughout society.

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The figurative language that I noticed in the poem is the use of the phrase "belly of the beast" to describe the challenges that people have faced in America. The way that it expands the meaning of what is happing it by producing a image of how scare these challenges were and how hard they were to face.

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What stands out in this poem is that Amanda Gorman mentions "cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of a man" which reveals a theme of equality and suggests change among society. What also stands out is her confidence that is presented in her voice and hand movements as well as her race and age which would attract an audience more.

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The speaker uses stress and parallelism to catch the audiences attention. "And yet the dawn is ours, before we knew it. Somehow we do it. Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken,
but simply unfinished." Includes parallelism i the word "somehow" and "we". It also included stress on the word we to focus the audience on how important that word meant.

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Gorman uses personification in the phrase "history has its eyes on us" indicating that we the people are of course going to determine the what may happen in the future of our history and we are responsible in preventing negative that occurred in history.

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What stands out in the poem is the repetition of the idea that there is hope for a "broken nation" to rebuild itself through the unified cooperation of the mass which is supported through her confident and strong manner and tone when speaking.

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The figurative language that I notice is the phrase "Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one." This expands the meaning of what is literally happening because "bronze-pounded chest" connotates to a strong, resistant person who strives for change and will not be brought down easily. This phrase suggests of the durability that we have as people to create change, and strive for a better world not only for ourselves, but for the generations next in line.

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Gorman uses repetition to develop a sense of emotional strain and stress on her message as in
"that even as we grieved, we grew,
that even as we hurt, we hoped,
that even as we tired, we tried,
that we'll forever be tied together, victorious," together we fall but as a result together we grow both as a nation in strength but our bonds internally with one another also are strengthened.

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One of the shifts occurs when Gorman recites, "But while democracy can be periodically delayed,
it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth,
in this faith we trust.
For while we have our eyes on the future,
history has its eyes on us."
Gorman prefaced this quote by saying how the country was on the brink of collapse, how democracy and justice had nearly failed us in our time of need. However, she shifts from an image of despair to one with a brighter outlook on how democracy and justice will always prevail, and how we can learn from history when she says that "For while we have our eyes on the future,
history has its eyes on us."

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"We've braved the belly of the beast" is an example of figurative language. She also uses imagery to further illustrate her words and to broaden her emphasis on certain phrases. Examples would include, "sunbaked south," "bronze-pounded chest," and "bruised but whole." There are rhyme schemes and homophones that are found at the end of lines instead of the beginning.

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Gorman uses  rhymes in her poem such as "We've braved the belly of the beast, We've learned that quiet isn't always peace," this emphasizes on how we as a country have fought for years for justice and we finally got it but staying quite and not speaking your mind when it is needed will not always lead to a positive outcome.

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There a plenty of shifts throughout the poem but most show up in the shift of setting when she goes from gleeful to dark. The shift of embracing who she is and her background and ancestors shifts the setting for the people to see the change and how equality is changing our world for the better. The way she incorporates race and politics with sacrifice and justice pulls all aspects of humanity into one beautifully written summary of how we as beings truly are.

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The use of homophones and play-on words such as "just is" and "justice" expands the meaning of unification by suggesting that the world's peace is just as it is rather than what justice is. As of 2021, tensions between Russia and the UN/NATO have been uneasy and considering that peace isn't giving peace the justice it deserves.

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There is a shift when Gorman starts to describe what being American means. In the entire beginning of the poem, she describes our current country and the state it's in. Towards the middle of the passage, she starts to mention the country's past faults and the darkness that we were in not so long ago and then continues to shift again to a hopeful tone in describing how we can do better. It is clear she believes in change and is optimistic in the bettering of our country. Her shifts emphasize her desire for change because not only does the text tone shift, but also her physical volume and mood as she puts stress on certain phrases to highlight them.

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Gorman uses metaphor in "The Hill We Climb" to deliver the message of human unity. For example Gorman states "We've seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it" emphasizing to the audience that what had occurred two weeks before was horrific, as a result guiding the audience to the concept of unity.

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In her poem, Gorman uses emphasis as she delivers her poem about the nation to suggest the idea of unification. She also included herself in the poem which implies that as well as the others, she too can relate to the poem in a way. She puts stress on the words which are significant so that the audience remembers.

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Gorman uses the imagery of "bridges we've made" and "the hill we climb" in order to emphasize the change that can happen if everyone were to have hope to fix the past. She highlights the idea of unity; people can come together to not only have hope that things will change, but that change will actually occur with everyone united.

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There are multiple shifts like "where can we find light in this never-ending shade" to "And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it". All of the shifts are shifting from the dark past and place this nation has come from, relating to slavery and equality and how it has changed and grown to be a nation of love and as Gorman says "move to what shall be" expressing the dark we were in and the light we shall approach.

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In Amanda Gorman's poem, she uses metaphors, rhyming, word pronunciation, repetition, etc. in order to further portray the idea of flow within a community. In addition to this, it serves to illustrate the concept of people coming together as one and conquering towards the future.

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The poem shifts from a sense of submission into belief in strength with the line "So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?" to "Now we assert, How could catastrophe possible prevail over us?" This emphasizes how change is occurring, we are adapting to overcome obstacles that humanity once gave up to. As we evolve, problems that once seemed impossible are now in our grasps. Humanity was destined to surpass any challenge, learning from our past and sacrifices to ensure a future worth living. We will place our efforts and pain to support our future generations.

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Gorman's call for unification does not only stop at encouraging the people and everyone else to love and give through a time of loss and need, but also to dare the people as if it is not only her mission to unify them, but for them to pass their unification onto others and to spread it. A time of unification should never be once, but always, and that is what Gorman leans into by the end of her poem as a claim for her listeners to follow.

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Throughout her poem, Gorman uses repetition allowing the audience to understand Gorman's emphasis in her words. With the repetition of certain words, the audience would clearly understand how these ideas must be closely analyzed if we are to strive together with our nation. One word that is noticeably repeated is the word "we."
"We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation."
"We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west."
"We will rebuild, reconcile and recover."
All of these and more are examples of Gorman's repetition which emphasizes the division we must conquer so we can, at last, come together.

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"the new dawn blooms as we free it."

Gorman's use of personification allows her to enable her audience to connect with certain images and inanimate objects. Describing the product of change, Gorman creates her sentences using verbs to emphasize the growth as a nation.

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Amanda Gorman utilizes metaphors in her poem. For example, one of the metaphors she uses is, "When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid, the new dawn blooms as we free it". In this poem, Gorman's use of metaphors emphasizes events that were relevant at this point in time that portrayed unity in society. Some of the metaphors she applied represented predictions she had for America's future because of society's union.

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"a nation that isn't broken,
but simply unfinished."

"Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division."

"but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter."

Gorman begins her poem with a benevolent tone acknowledging heritage as well as the progression of inclusivity in America. It is through this progression that Gorman addresses her roots which can be reflected in younger children of America. Ultimately, the expanding definition of an American citizen provides Gorman an opportunity to normalize the change a country undergoes when facing challenges not alone, but together.

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Throughout the poem Amanda Gorman uses various instances of personification when referring to the state of health of the nation. She uses this this to emphasize the idea that the nation is only a nation through the people who live on it and how the health of the people whether economic, physical, mental, or in times of disaster and uncertainty mirrors the nation.

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I notice that Amanda Gorman uses metaphors which allows the audience to be engaged with her poem and further expand her topic. She uses metaphor in the phrase "braved the belly of the beast" in order to suggest a society in an unfortunate situation such as a pandemic, loss, or struggles. It emphasizes the strength us people also have to make a change for the better and for our future.

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There are various shifts in Amanda Gorman's poem and one that stood out was when she was talking about our nation and the negative side to it in which society tries to find peace in a broken society of struggles and hardships and then she shifts to the dark past of our country. One of the phrases say, "where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother" and she uses this as an example of the inequality many once faced. She then shifts to a hopeful tone to encourage our country to do better and work together to bring peace and equality.

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Amanda Gorman uses homophones, for example the words "just is" and "Justice." This is to show that the social normality is unfair when it come to races and nationality. The poem is leading towards the attempt and hope to change society into being more acceptable.

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A shift occurs to our historical past when she spoke, "the hill we climb.
If only we dare.
It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it's the past we step into
and how we repair it." She referred to how as Americans we remember the past and now it's our turn to change.

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Amanda Gorman's personification of the United States of America as an individual helps build the request directed at the readers to acknowledge the past and evolve from it because the United States is now a more sympathetic entity because of the personification.

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Gorman starts the poem with a somber tone as she depicts the "loss we carry" and how "quiet isn't always peace." She then shifts to a hopeful tone as she hints the idea of a "nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished." She emphasizes how even with the negative series of events occurring, people should have the hope that a positive change will happen and reshape society.

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One question I have is if she have any influences that inspired her to write a poem with such passion. Another question I have is how people can come together in order to create a repaired nation. One epiphany I had about the poem was the different outlooks of society that people have during the troubles they went through.

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Amanda Gorman uses homophones like "tired" and "tried." This describes the hard efforts given by people, despite of the weight of the difficulties. Gorman use of homophones expands the meaning of her poem by expressing the success of getting through hard times while being unified.

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There are countless shifts in Amanda Gorman's poem, but the one that stood out to me was "it's because being American is more than a pride we inherit" to "so let us leave behind a country." This reveals that although being American achieves pride, we have to make a change in the new generations for the new era.

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One question I have for Amanda is how she learned to speak with such volume and truth that makes a difference within people. Another question I have is how long did it take for her to construct her poem for the inauguration. One epiphany I had about the poem was that the poem is almost a peephole into different peoples personal background and how these difficult times impacted them.

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Two questions that I have for Gorman would be "What made you foresee the structure to writing your poem?" "Did you have to first reflect on how you would want your poem's main idea to affect its audience?"
My realization (epiphany) when reading the poem was how we could begin from rock bottom and once we come together as a society we will be able to climb to the top where we will be able to improve our nation. Hence the title "The Hill We Climb."

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There are many shifts in Gorman's poem. One of the shifts which I believe is most distinct would be "For while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us. This is the era of just redemption we feared at its inception." In this quote Gorman signifies that we must be focusing on what has happened with our nation from the past so we can allow change for the future. Immediately afterwards, Gorman states that this is our year to redeem our nation, creating an empowering tone to which we can use for our future references as we unify for the utmost purpose of our country.

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The shift in "But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated," where the poem goes from detailing the past to detailing the potential future, also contains a shift from a disappointed tone to an inspiring tone because Gorman rallies the readers/listeners to collectively move forward.

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My first question to Gorman, would be how her upbringing as a black child in America influenced the subject matter of her poetry, my next question being if her poems are written with a performance in mind first and meaning second or vice versa.
The one epiphany I had after reading the poem was that Gorman's style uses homophones during critical moments which I assume is consistent across her work because they also fulfilled a similar role in her other poem.

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In the poem there are many shifts in the poem with the symbols of light in dark. The light symbols that are used are hope, and new day then the author would shift to using dark symbols like suffering and mistakes of the past.

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An epiphany I experienced was the meaning by the title "The Hill We Climb" as Gorman's  poem talks of how us as a country started from the bottom of the hill (previous negative occurrences in history) and have since been climbing to the top as a country together to fulfill a better state for us all. My two questions would be "What observations did you make to justify that we are advancing as a whole?" and "Were there any inspirations when writing this poem?"

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What figurative language she used was some metaphors for an example she had said "that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree." Meaning we should be peaceful and grow. Another Figurative language was being kept repeated was her rhymes on how the words were just perfect for each and how there pronunciation was the same.

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How many Stanza's throughout the poem contain family/friend values? Is there any changes/ add-ons Gorman wished to have altered? An epiphany i had while listening and reading along was the growth of our society.

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I believe there are multiple shifts for an example a shift was when she said "Somehow we've weathered and witnessed" she starts talking about her self then her ancestors (African Americans) and how they are the successors of this country. Its expanding by our country and how us African Americans think or what we are doing at this moment of time.

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My first question is Gorman's reasoning for this theme and my second question would be asking Gorman what inspired her to start writing poetry. I realized when reading this that you should always acknowledge problems but continue to fix them instead of basking in these issues with grief.

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"We will not march back to what was,
but move to what shall be.
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free."
"What was" refers to racism, inequality, and injustice. Gorman then accepts our countries flaws and proceeds to describe the U.S. kindly. The shift was used to show how we can improve our flaws without repeating history.

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My 2 questions are Is this an already made poem you had or did you make this just for the inauguration? Do you have any regrets or mistakes in the poem? 1 Epiphany I realized that the "nation that isn't broken but simple unfinished," and we all as people need to do more.

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Gorman's use of metaphor enables her to communicate vivid imagery that goes beyond literal meaning. The metaphor of climbing a hill compares our country's troubles to being stranded in the woods, anticipating a transition from the woods to an open area known as a glade or meadow.

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Gorman's use of shift helps to add intrigue to the poem. The poem argues that progress does not occur simultaneously. Climbing the hill of justice is a long and sometimes difficult process. Patience and tolerance are required for this climb. Change is difficult for the speaker of this poem, yet it is always attainable. Devoted Americans can envision and be the beacons of hope for a brighter future.

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My first question is how Gorman defines poetry? Secondly, what is the relationship between poetry and change? I realized that the poem's message is optimistic, arguing that a new dawn is emerging in which Americans have the chance to build a more equal and egalitarian society.

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One thing I've wondered ever since learning about Gorman's status as the National Youth Laureate is how she earned it. How does one receive a status with such high regard? Maybe looks at her earlier works will provide an answer. Another question I have is how did she get into writing in general? Did she always write poetry or did she start by writing other genres as well, and did this interest in writing start through inheritance or inspiration? After reading through two of her works, I've realized that she has a very sing-song type of way to her writing. It reminds me of how Lin-Manuel Miranda composes song lyrics.

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Several shifts occur in Amanda Gorman's poem. One of the shifts occur within the lines in which she recites, "We've learned that quiet isn't always peace, and the norms and notions of what just is isn't always just-ice. And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do it". In this shift, the poem alters from a perceptive tone to an auspicious tone. Gorman briefly addresses that society had learned from their actions and learned that their beliefs did not always provide good results for everyone. The shift prevails when she refers to dawn which represents how society manages to improve.

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Was this poem simple for Amanda Gorman to memorize?
How challenging was it to have a rhyme scheme continue for several lines?
An epiphany I had about the poem was that even though our society still has a lot to learn, we've still made a decent amount of progress.

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This poem stands out because unlike the other poem's read for the president's, this one not only talks about the future, but the past as well and how we learn from it and embrace it. This poet also uses a lot of hand gestures that correlate to what she is saying which emphasizes the uniqueness of the poem.

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Figurative language such as repetition is used when Gorman states, "that even as we grieved, we grew/that even as we hurt, we hoped/that even as we tired, we tried,
that we'll forever be tied together, victorious." This emphasizes how even though America has gone through devastating events, it stills remains strong as we unite and heal together. She literally meant that the country is stable and able to continue thriving.

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At what age did Gorman start writing poems? If Gorman could change anything about this specific poem, what would it be? A realization I have about this poem is how our society puts in work as a whole to grow.

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The first notable shift of many is found when Gorman states how America is "Far from pristine," but continues to say how, "that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect." Rather than continuing to name the downfalls and flaws, she shifts to the future goals of the country. Another shift occurs when Gorman begins to talk about America's past rather than the present. Towards the end of the poem, after questioning the future of the country, she finally asserts how we will prevail, emphasizing another shift.

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One question I have is where the inspiration for the title came from. For example why did she choose  a hill over a mountain or use certain diction such as we climb instead of something else? Another question is would Gorman have created such a poem similar to this if she was not specifically asked to? Is it out of her writing style or is this something she easily wrote? Finally, the realization had it the amount of talent the younger generations have in subjects that might not be as outspoken as others.

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There are multiple shifts with in the poem, one being a reference to biblical terms where religious ideas play a role in the govt but that if they keep us apart and be on our own then scrap them.

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What would Amanda Gorman have on her mind while she is writing, and how does she plan or not plan her poems?

an epiphany that I had was how universal her writing is, it speaks to all at all times

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What helped Amanda use such a way of words that catches peoples attention?
Did Amanda use poetry to develop character within herself?
I realized that everyone wants peace and harmony no matter what they are like differently from one another.

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One shift in the poem that occurs multiple times is the when the author moves from talking about culture within the people to democracy within the nation.

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A shift I noticed is between the effect of change and her ancestral backround. There are other shifts such as the shift from the corruption of the world to the possibilities and effect of unifications.

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There are two major shifts in the poem, the first when Gorman states "While democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated" changing the mood of her poem from that of grief and loss, to becoming a beacon of hope for humanity. The second main shift is when Gorman states "We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be," the mood goes from hopeful to empowering, making the audience wish to take action and make the world a better place.

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2 questions that I had about the poem were one, is what is Gorman's thought process that could lead to such an excellent work. And two, how did her upbringing as a person affect this poem, as she always delivers the message to strive to do better. As for a realization, one can easily infer where the second half of the poem gets its historical roots from, the horrifying insurrection on January 6th of last year, and that Gorman used it as a spotlight to improve ourselves as individuals, loved ones, and most importantly, as humans.